TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

How did you get started coaching volleyball?
When I first started teaching at Sweet Home, our Athletic Director Bob Barczak asked me to coach the varsity volleyball team. I really wanted to coach basketball, softball or field hockey – not volleyball. Volleyball was just becoming a competitive sport in the 1970s, and I had never seen "power" volleyball played. But, I agreed because Mr. Barczak told me that if I coached volleyball for one year, he would give me the choice of another sport as soon as an opening occurred.

My first year coaching did produce a winning record, but I knew I had great athletes who knew more about the sport than I did. Since there were no openings in the sports I wanted to coach the following year, Mr. Barczak asked me to coach volleyball again. I agreed, but only if he would send me to a coaching clinic so that I would know what I was doing! After I attended a clinic, my eyes were opened to the intricacies of the sport. I had a new respect for volleyball and was eager to teach my players all I had learned. I was hooked!

What are your coaching philosophies?
I am a born middle school teacher. I love the enthusiasm youth has at that age. Kids truly play sport for the love of it. As they grow older, outside pressures thwart that love. I have always tried to keep the fun in coaching. Obviously, at the varsity and college levels, the pressure to win sometimes supersedes fun. But then, winning is fun! Success breeds confidence, which in turn produces fun. I want my players to always have passion for the sport. If a player feels uncomfortable or unsafe on the court, she will not be able to play her best. I hate mind games, intimidation and screaming as methods of motivation. I don’t think any player makes mistakes on purpose. If a player lacks self-motivation, aggressiveness and a great attitude, I don’t want her on my team. If they are made to feel scared to make mistakes, their movement will be repressed…and this game is all about movement.

My other philosophy is to play aggressively. I think that if a team practices to ‘test their limitations,’ it will learn how risky it can be in a match. Practicing under pressure situations is key. No one ever plays as well as she practices. I love to train players technically and tactically to read and move in proper postures and court positions. That is their charge to learn and perform. My philosophy is to allow them to be as aggressive as they feel confident through aggressive practice experiences. Building confidence to be aggressive is fun to train. The game is simple if the first contact goes to the setter. But, my game philosophy is to beat the other team by playing more aggressively "out of system" better than anyone else. It is a risky theory, but my players have always responded well and enjoyed it.

What do you see as your biggest challenges coaching at the Division I level at the University at Buffalo?
UB moved from Division III to Division II to Division I and into the Mid-American Conference very quickly. They never had the chance to feel comfortable and successful before their next transition. My charge will be to build a reputable program and create lasting traditions. The MAC is a very competitive conference. UB is really an East Coast school in a Mideast conference. Volleyball is played at a high level in the Mideast, Midwest and West. So, we need to play "catch-up." We need to develop players to be more intense on defense, to win the long rallies and to tactically play sounder. Obviously, we need to recruit great student-athletes who have a similar vision and philosophy.

The University at Buffalo is a well-kept secret. We want to flaunt the strength of its academics, the support for athletics and the fine facilities. Through recruiting, we must educate junior and high school coaches across the country of all the strengths of our fine University. We want to lure our great local athletes to play in front of the home crowd but also recruit fine athletes from across the country to enhance the program.

What does the University at Buffalo mean to you/offer you as a coach?
Over the past nine months, I just shake my head at the great professional support staff at UB. Each department is eager to help with all aspects of academic and athletic support. I think my biggest fear was I wouldn’t be able to handle the job. The staff at UB does so much of the work that I have had to do in the past. Now my job is to actually coach! Academic advisement, admissions, athletic communications, business operations, caring for and ordering equipment and uniforms, compliance, event coordination and facility management, marketing, sports medicine, strength and conditioning and travel arrangements are just a few that come to mind! The administration is so supportive and helpful. Our Athletic Director Bob Arkeilpane and our Senior Woman Administrator Nan Harvey are committed to the success of our program. My true heroes will be my coaching staff, Joe Fisher and Randy Syracuse, who do so much of the work that will build and fortify our program.

I was born and raised in Western New York. I went to Sweet Home and I teach at Sweet Home. I received my Master’s Degree from UB. UB has always been in my back yard. I think without knowing it, UB was always in the back of my mind. Now it takes a place in my heart.

What are your personal and team goals for your first season in 2002?
UB has a great academic reputation. I want to follow our peer teams and strive for at least a 3.0 team GPA. I want my student-athletes to feel passionate for the sport and be proud of their accomplishments. I want the sport of volleyball to enhance their collegiate life so they are confident young ladies.

My immediate team goal is a MAC win! After that win, I want to build upon it. Our coaching goal is to change the mindset of the players who have not yet known success at the collegiate level, build a stronger and quicker team and develop team chemistry through team-building activities.

My long-term team goal is to develop the whole student-athlete. I want our players to intrinsically embrace the values they acquire from the program to become more proficient in life skills. As much as a player gives to the program over four years, I want them to take away the experiences that will carry over into their everyday life to become successful adults in their personal and professional lives.

My long-term personal goal is to build the program so that Western New York looks to UB as a leader in volleyball. I want to increase match attendance because we are a thrilling team to support. I want to create rewarding traditions. I also want to help educate and provide experiences for our youth and area coaches through clinics, camps, and other promotional events.

You’ve enjoyed tremendous success in your coaching career thus far. What accomplishments are you most proud of?
Yes, we have had some unbelievable experiences and accolades that have been some of life’s best experiences. There are two that come to mind, which are rarely mentioned. One is an accomplishment and one is an outcome.

My favorite team accomplishment is when we won the "trifecta." We were a New York State Scholar-Athlete Team, we were awarded the NYS Sportsmanship Award and we won the NYS Class A Championship all in the same year! Who could ask for more? We were awarded the three most prestigious student-athlete awards in the State. I feel one is as important as the other.

The unforeseen outcome is our players have gone on to teach and coach in so many volleyball programs. They are great role models and true products of the program. I am proud of them because they love the sport and give to our youth. Sometimes I even see some "Koozisms" in their coaching!

You coached two Conference Freshman of the Year honorees while at Daemen College. What goes in to making those first-year players so successful from a coaching standpoint?
Actually, a coach has to make sure the recruit is a "good fit" for the program. This would include good academics, great attitude, a great work ethic, a sense of humor, and adaptability. The two players who were Conference Freshman of the Year at Daemen were "impact players"...each made an immediate difference on our team as a freshman. Coaches always try to recruit better players than they have to increase the level of play. In addition, coaching an impact player can be emotionally tricky. The newcomer needs to gain acceptance from the veteran players and yet not feel threatened to take over one of veteran's starting assignments. I have always found that it is important for newcomers to feel safe and comfortable on the court so they can have free rein to be aggressive and strut their stuff.

I also think that it is important to let a freshman be a freshman...or not put leadership responsibilities on an incoming player. Many freshmen who can crack the starting line-up are looked at to be an instant leader. These players have enough to contend with adjusting to college without putting undue stress on them. Leadership cannot be forced but it can be developed through a nurturing and a supportive environment. During my first year at Daemen, I brought in an impact middle hitter (Katie Schrantz) and setter (Erin Holahan) who went on to become All-Region and All-Conference. Hopefully, our first dynamic freshmen duo of Amy Brown and Katie Weekley will produce "déjà vu" for our UB Bulls Volleyball Team!

You have received numerous coaching honors during your career, including being inducted into the National Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1996. What do those honors mean to you?
"Individual coaching honors embarrass me. I always try to instill humility in my players when they accept individual awards....you know, make sure they credit the team for their success. All the coaching honors I have received are an outgrowth of my team's accomplishments. I have always felt honored to be part of the hoopla but would prefer to live more vicariously through the team's successes. As for the Hall of Fame induction, it was very special to me because it was a national honor for the program. The evening of the induction was the same night our Sweet Home team was playing for first place in the ECIC conference, so I had not planned to attend the induction in Massachusetts. I felt it would be a selfish act to put the award ahead of our team. But, I was "encouraged" to go to the induction by the Sweet Home administration because I would be representing the accomplishments of our program! Actually, I am glad I attended the induction. It showed confidence in my JV coach, Kathy Rich Neelon, to take over the Varsity team. Sweet Home also honored the induction the evening of the game before the match which I am sure was a motivator!

How did practice during the spring prepare your team for the upcoming season?
"Actually, the Spring 2002 was our first important step toward success. With only six returning players and no setter to lead the offense, the team did an unbelievable job. The most important intrinsic value gained from the Spring was the team chemistry that developed through our experiences and from successful tournament play. As for the upcoming Fall season, I feel it is important that we gain early success. Success isn't always gained on the win-loss column. As much as I hate losing, I never mind losing if we have played our best and have been defeated by a better team. Importunely, that doesn't happen too often in a loss. Most of the time, players regret how they played and coaches regret everything! If we play our best, this team will win. We all want our first MAC win early in the season. We want the monkey off our backs. Then we want to keep building and become a formidable force in the MAC. Success breeds success. This team has regained their passion for volleyball which will help us win the long rallies that is the emotional fuel to win games."

Your teams at Sweet Home High School put together a streak of 292 consecutive wins over a span of eight undefeated seasons. What went in to making that streak last as long as it did?
"I wish I had kept a journal from the first win that started the streak. We didn't know what we were starting! The journal would have reflected a recipe for success. Somehow the win streak just evolved! Looking back, I can name a few ingredients of the recipe. Coaching grassroot programs with energetic and technical coaching was important. Providing fun and unique opportunities for kids that other sports don't provide was another important key. Believing in kids and taking interest in them came natural. Playing against the best competition to challenge our abilities and make us better helped us develop and made the wins more creditable. The better we got, the more fun we had challenging ourselves. I found I had to attend clinics and educate myself to become a better coach. I had to blend a respect for basics but teach over their heads to motivate them. We all learned the importance of being a student of the game. One of my favorite quotes from an opposing coach whom I have always respected was from Patty Perone, the Horseheads HS coach. She said, "When Sweet Home walks into a gym, they have points in their pockets.'" Brian Begor from Penn Juniors once called and said, "The Cheetahs may not always be the best team on the court but they know they are going to win and they do." Both of these comments sound so arrogant, but a positive self image is very important in game play. When a team has a history of winning, they develop into a program. The last important ingredient is to balance the number of graduating players from a program. No coach should ever say...."we have to rebuild." If a program has a blend of young and veteran players a coach will say...."we have to reload."

Of course, I must say that Sweet Home's administration was behind our athletic program and supported girl's sports. At the top of that list was our Athletic Director, Robert Barczak. I know I have the same support at UB....in fact our Athletic Director, Bob Arkeilpane, was a product of the Sweet Home program under Mr. Barczak's tutelage.

-The ‘10 Questions with…’ feature is compiled by Geoff Nason.